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New ‘Lunar Lanterns’ Add Star Lights To Festival

4 spectacular new Zodiac lanterns will be part of the City Of Sydney’s 2017 Chinese New Year Festival celebrating The Year Of The Rooster.

The giant artworks, representing animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac, will join the Lunar Lanterns exhibition that featured as part of the 2016 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, which attracted 1.3 million visitors.

The new animal lanterns – a rooster, rat, pig & snake – will be located in key locations throughout the city from the 27th of January to the 12th of February 2017.

Interactive lighting & design architects, Amigo & Amigo, will design new concepts for the rooster & snake lanterns; Chinese-Australian artist, Guo Jian, will design the rat lantern while the pig lantern will be created by Beijing-born artist & sculptor, John Deng.

11th February 2016 – ‘The Monkeys’ at the Sydney Opera House during the City Of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival celebrations.Photo by DAMIAN SHAW/CITY OF SYDNEY

Next year will be the 21st anniversary of the Festival and the 2nd year the City has exhibited Lunar Lanterns.

City Of Sydney Chief Executive Officer, Monica Barone, said the new lanterns will mean even more people can enjoy the 2017 Lunar Lanterns exhibition & Sydney Chinese New Year Festival celebrations.

“Our 1st ever Lunar Lanterns were a huge hit in 2016, attracting more than 750,000 visitors & providing more than 1000 community group members with the opportunity to perform at each lantern”

“These new lanterns will help us continue to build on what is one of the biggest & most successful Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia. I look forward to seeing the lantern designs by local artists”

11th February 2016 -City Of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival celebrations. Photo by DAMIAN SHAW/CITY OF SYDNEY

Festival curator, Claudia Chan Shaw, said the City will work with artists to deliver the new lanterns.

“For more than 2000 years, the lantern has been an important part of Chinese New Year celebrations & the Lunar Lanterns exhibition is a modern, contemporary twist on this ancient tradition” Claudia said.

“Lunar Lanterns will encourage more visitors into the city, providing a boost for local retailers as well as showcasing a variety of community performances & events throughout the 2017 Festival”

From its modest beginnings in 1995 as a community street market, the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival has grown to become one of the largest celebrations of the Lunar New Year outside of Asia.

The Festival will include favourite events like The Dragon Boat Races at Darling Harbour, the Westpac Lunar Lantern Hub, the Westpac Painting The Town Red & an extensive associated program of more than 80 partner events.